Apparatus for dehydration of tar emulsions



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T. H. JACKSON APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATION OF TAR EMULSIONS 2 Sheet-Sheet 2L ju/erL-'or [f Jae/($012,, deceaJecl Filed Nov. 29, 1933 Patented Apr.28, 1936 APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATION F TAR EMULSIONS Thomas H. Jackson,deceased, late of Centralia, 111., by Lottie Healy Jackson, executrix,Centralia, Ill.

Application November 29, 1933, Serial No. 700,342 2 Claims. (Cl. 196-5)UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE This invention relates to the dehydration ofemulsions of tar and water, such as may be obtained, for instance, as aby-product in the manufacture of water gas. One of the objects of thepresent invention is to provide a method of recovering the tar withpractically no accompanying water and to do it efliciently. Anotherobject is to provide an apparatus for efliciently carrying out themethod. Other objects, advantages, and desirable features of theinvention will appear in the course of the following description of anillustrative embodiment of the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, inwhich like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section of the apparatus;and

Figure 2 is an end elevation, taken looking toward the left end ofFigure 1.

The apparatus comprises a tank I having on its upper side a vapor dome2, and on its lower side an inlet connection 3 to a source of emulsion,

preferably through a supply pump, and an outlet connection 4 to asuitable point of delivery, preferably through a discharge pump. A tierof drain cocks 5 at the left end of the tank may be opened for thepurpose of revealing the state of the emulsion at different levels. Thecocks 5 drain into respective pans or receptacles 6, that communicatethrough respective pipes l with an upstanding pipe 8, whose lower end isconnected to a conduit through which the drained emulsion flows back tothe source. An overflow pipe 9 maintains the level of the fluid in thetank and discharges into the upper end of the pipe 8. This pipe isconstantly open to insure automatically sufiicient space above the sameto accommodate any emulsion foaming that may be present, and, due to theconnection of the return pipe 8 with the emulsion source, any emulsiondrawn off through the pipe 9 as a result of expansion is returned to thesource without loss or waste of the emulsion. The outlet It in the domereleases steam and light oil that forms in the dehydration process.Steam pipes H are provided in the interior of the tank, the steam inletbeing at l2, and the steam outlet l3 being connected to a steam trap.

The method consists in pumping the tar emulsion through the connection 3into the tank, ad-

- mitting live steam through the pipes II to heat the emulsion to twohundred and six degrees Fahrenheit for a period of substantially twohours,

thereby agitating the emulsion and breaking it up and readilyevaporating the water and separating the tar from the water, and thenreducing the heat to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit and maintaining thistemperature for a period of from ten to twenty hours to give anopportunity for the complete separation of the tar from the water. Theexpansion space above the level of the liquid in the tank takes care ofemulsion foaming. The steam is then turned off and the heavier tar alilowed to settle, while the lighter water rises and is drained off. Thetar is now ready for use and is discharged through the connection 4.This tar contains only one-fifth of one per cent. water, while tartechnically known as bone dry contains as much as two per cent. water.In view of the fact that the emulsion on entering the tank contains fromfifty to eighty per cent. of water, the high efficiency of this methodwill be readily appreciated. 20

It will be observed that the apparatus is simple and easy to operate.The emulsion is not permitted to flow into or out of the tank during theheating and settling stages of the process, hence the process is notdisturbed and there are no pumps to watch, or pipes to stop up, or anyparts to freeze in the winter. The steam trap automatically takes careof the coils and the outlet on the dome releases steam and light oilthat forms in the tank and allows it to escape. The overflow pipeassures ample space in the tank to allow for excess expansion oremulsion foaming without any loss of emulsion, and without necessity forany attention by the operator.

The tar obtained from this source is always in a fluid condition. Itsfluidity, however, of course, varies with the temperature. The tank isusually located out of doors, and, during periods of extreme coldweather it may, accordingly, be, necessary to keep sufficient steam inthe heating 1 pipes to keep the tar suficiently fluid, so that it willflowrapidly through the pumps and other apparatus.

Having thus fully described this invention, the 4 benefit of all changesin form. arrangement, order, or use of parts is hereby reserved, as itis evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.50

What is claimed is: 1. In apparatus for dehydrating tar emulsions, acontainer for the emulsion during the dehydrating operation, means forheating the emulsion within the container, and automatically operating55 c it.

means in spaced relation to the top of the container to provide andmaintain an expansion space at the top of the container.

2. In apparatus for dehydrating tar emulsions, a container for theemulsion during the dehydrating operation, means for transferring aquantity of emulsion from a source of supply to the container, means forheating the emulsion within the container, a series of vertically spaceddrain in cocks for testing the emulsion at difierent levels with respectto the container, an emulsion overflow pipe in spaced relation to thetop of the container to provide and maintain automatically an expansionspace at the top of the container, and means for receiving the dischargefrom said overflow pipe and said drain cocks, and for returning saiddischarge to said source.

LOTTIE HEALY JACKSON, As Emecuirix of the Last Will and Testament ofThomas H. Jackson, Deceased.

